What Happens On A Press Trip

What happens on a press trip, unlike what happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay on a press trip. Instead it gets plastered all over social media and then my blog, because hey, I’m all about that content. Since Inside Laura’s Head started to take off last year, I’ve been on three press trips (Dublin, London and Amsterdam) and whilst there’s been different things happen on each trip, there’s definitely some common things too.

I take all of the photos

If this is news to you, you probably don’t know any bloggers that well. We’re always thinking of that blog post about the trip, the one we need to write in return for the trip, but we’re also always thinking of what other posts we can get from it, and then there’s instagram content…we take A LOT of photos. I will say that I’m pretty quick to get the shots I want now though, thankfully.

I write notes

I have a memory like a sieve, so I write down everything-from where I’ve been to how I got there, how much my food cost and other notes of things I want to remember. This makes writing my blog post later so much easier, and stops me texting my plus one to ask exactly HOW we got to that place or how much that coffee and cake was.

I get lost

Anyone who’s been in my car with me will know my sense of direction is terrible. Put me in a place I don’t know well on foot and I’m just as bad. I spend a lot of time on press trips (and any trip, to be fair) getting lost. So if you’re travelling with me and have a good sense of direction, by all means tell me when I’m going the wrong way.

I choose food based on what looks best

When I’m doing a trip, I like to try and do a food diary post afterwards. On press trips I feel this is more important, because it’s getting content of my own out of a trip where I already have to write something specific. So, I choose where to eat, and what to eat, based on what will look good in the post. I want different meals, unusual food and something that looks pretty, if that’s possible. So I’d go for a rainbow coloured ice cream with fancy decoration over a vanilla one, for example.

I visit the most sterotypical tourist spots (as well as the quirky ones)

People reading my travel posts want to see the things they could do when they visit the same place. I aim for 80% stereotypical tourist places, and 20% something different. For example, in Dublin I did the Zoo, Temple Bar, Trinity College and one of the parks, then I did the Leprechaun Museum for something different.

I update social media

Friends often tell me I shouldn’t be updating twitter on a trip because I’m on holiday. But for me, a press trip, whilst being a great perk of my job, isn’t a holiday at all. It’s work, and I need to be providing a certain amount of coverage for my followers, and for the brand who’s sent me there. I don’t do it at the expense of the trip, it doesn’t take away from my enjoyment, but it does need doing.

Have you always wondered what happens on a press trip? Did this post offer you a good insight?